BALCO mishap: Judicial probe begins
03-Nov-2009 20:08:42 Anant Paliwal :
BALCO mishap: Judicial probe begins

Raipur: A single-member judicial commission began probing the Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd (BALCO) power plant's chimney collapse that claimed 41 lives and left many injured on September 23.

''The probe will maintain transparency,'' Raipur District and Sessions Judge Sandeep Bakshi -- who comprises the commission -- assured media after paying his maiden visit to the spot at Korba this morning. He hoped that the final report would be ready in the stipulated period of three months.

Mr Bakshi, accompanied by Additional District Collector P L Nihlani, had discussions with officials of BALCO and contract companies -- Delhi's Gannon Dunkerley and Company Limited (GDCL) and China's Shandong Electric Power Corporation (SEPCO) -- engaged by the aluminium major for constructing its 1,200-MW plant and two 275-m-high chimneys.

The collapse of the 150-m-high under-construction chimney was said to be the state's worst-ever industrial mishap. The Commission has been given liberty to seek assistance of technical experts or organisations and asked to investigate every aspect including quality of material used and possible negligence by the contract companies besides suggesting measures to avoid recurrence.

GDCL Project Engineer-in-charge Manoj Sharma has been arrested. GDCL was given a subcontract for constructing the chimneys by China's SEPCO that bagged Rs 2,800-crore contract for setting up the plant having four units of 300 MW each.